Balatro-GBA

This is an attempt to recreate the game 'Balatro' as accurately as possible, including all of the visual effects that make Balatro feel satisfying to play. This tech-demo/proof of concept is strictly limited in content to a minimal version of Balatro and will NOT recreate the full game. This version is intended for people who already own and know how the official full game works. Please refer to the Balatro Wiki if you need help understanding certain mechanics or abilities.

Disclaimer: This project is NOT endorsed by or affiliated with Playstack or LocalThunk

This is a non-profit community fan project solely aimed to recreate a minimal version of Balatro on the Game Boy Advance as a tribute to the full Balatro and is not intended to infringe or draw sales away from the full game's release or any of the established works by Playstack and LocalThunk.

All rights are reserved to their respective holders.

Please buy the official full version from these sources below:

Controls:

(A: Pick Card/Make Selections)

(B: Deselect All Cards)

(L: Sell Joker)

(R: Sort Suit/Rank)

(D-Pad: Navigation)

Build Instructions:

-Docker-

A docker compose file is provided to build this project. It provides a standard build environment for this projects CI/CD and can also be used to build the ROM locally.

Some users may find this option to be the easiest way to build locally.

• This option avoids setting up the development environment as described below.
• No additional software besides docker desktop is required.

Step-by-Step

1.) Install docker desktop for your operating system.

2.) Open a terminal to this project's directory:

• On Linux run UID=$(id -u) GID=$(id -g) docker compose up
• On Windows run docker compose up

How do I open a terminal in windows?

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From the file explorer, you can open a folder in powershell (a modern windows terminal):

• hold 'Shift' and Right Click on the folder.

• Select "Open PowerShell window here" from the popup menu.

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3.) Docker will build the project and the ROM will be in the same location as step 7 describes below.

-Windows-

Video Tutorial: https://youtu.be/72Zzo1VDYzQ?si=UDmEdbST1Cx1zZV2

With Git (not required)

1.) Install devkitPro from https://github.com/devkitPro/installer by downloading the latest release, unzipping the archive, and then running the installer. You only need to install the tools for the GBA development so ensure you have it selected and install it to the default directory. You may need to create a temp folder for the project.

2.) Search for MSys2 in the Start Menu and open it.

3.) Install Git by typing this command: pacman -S git if you don't have it already installed

4.) Clone the project by putting git clone https://github.com/cellos51/balatro-gba.git in the MSys2 window.

5.) Use cd and drag the new folder into the window to add the file path and press Enter.

6.) Type make into the window and press Enter to start building the rom.

7.) After it completes, navigate through the build directory in the project folder and look for balatro-gba.gba and load it on an emulator or flashcart.

Without Git

Disregard Steps 3-4 and instead click the green code button on the main repository page and press Download Zip. Unzip the folder and place it wherever you like. Then continue from Step 5.

-Linux-

1.) Add the devkitPro repository using these instructions https://devkitpro.org/wiki/devkitPro_pacman

2.) Install devkitPro by running sudo pacman -S gba-dev and accepting all packages.

3.) Activate the devkitPro environment by running source /etc/profile.d/devkit-env.sh or opening a new shell.

4.) Follow instructions from the Windows tutorial starting from Step 3

-macOS-

1.) Install devkitPro installer using: https://github.com/devkitPro/installer and following https://devkitpro.org/wiki/devkitPro_pacman#macOS.

Note: You may have to install the installers directly from their url in a browser, as the installer script may not install correctly due to Cloudflare checks on their server. You can use one of the following urls:

Apple Silicon: https://pkg.devkitpro.org/packages/macos-installers/devkitpro-pacman-installer.arm64.pkg

Intel: https://pkg.devkitpro.org/packages/macos-installers/devkitpro-pacman-installer.x86_64.pkg

2.) Verify that devkitPro is installed in '/opt/devkitpro'

3.) Add the following to your .bashrc or .zshrc (or export the variables in your shell session):

• export DEVKITPRO=/opt/devkitpro
• export DEVKITARM=$DEVKITPRO/devkitARM
• export PATH=$PATH:$DEVKITPRO/tools/bin:$DEVKITPRO/pacman/bin

4.) Follow instructions from Windows tutorial step 4

Common Issues:

1. When I run make it errors out and won't compile!

• Move the project folder to your desktop and then cd to it by dragging the folder into the terminal window. This error could be caused by a bad file path, placing the folder on the desktop is a failsafe.

2. I can't find the compiled rom!

• Look for a folder called build inside the project folder and then find balatro-gba.gba.

3. The Game won't start!

• Try a different emulator or if you are using original hardware, make sure the rom is not corrupted and try a different flashcart or SD Card. If this does not work, open an issue on the Github page because a recent commit may have broke the game.

4. It says I don't have Git or Make installed!

• Use pacman -S git (not required) or pacman -S make although make should already be installed if you followed the instructions correctly.